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Stan Laiken, Professor Emeritus granted Honorary CPA

Friday, September 29, 2017

by Patty Mah

Professor emeritus, Stanley Laiken was granted Honorary Membership at the Annual Meeting of CPA Ontario. For more than four decades, Laiken, affectionately known as uncle Stan by students and colleagues, provided distinguished service to the accounting profession as an educator specifically in the area of taxation. Honorary membership is sparingly bestowed with Laiken being only the 2nd recipient. As a tax educator par excellence, Laiken’s membership comes at a fitting time as September 2017 also marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of federal income tax legislation in Canada.

Laiken’s contribution to the accounting profession in Ontario and the impact of that contribution resonates beyond the university students and aspiring CPAs he’s taught. Laiken’s co-authorship of the go-to tax textbook, Introduction to Federal Income Taxation in Canada, is used in 37 universities across Canada and has assisted in demystifying one of our nation’s most challenging pieces of legislation.

“Stan has made a profound impact on our profession over many decades and has scrupulously and diligently upheld the objects of CPA Ontario and its legacy bodies. I can think of no one more deserving of an Honorary Membership in CPA Ontario,” states Dave Vert, CPA Ontario Leadership Fellow, who recommended Laiken for the award.

An Honourary CPA is an elected membership for individuals who have given valuable and distinguished service or have made outstanding and prominent contribution to the accounting profession in Ontario. A recognized expert in the field of taxation, Laiken has been published in numerous professional journals and magazines, was the first tax professor to receive the L.S. Rosen Outstanding Educator Award and is a holder of a Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship.

Jim Barnett, interim Director for the SAF notes “Stan lives and breathes tax. He has an amazing ability to take a complex topic, break it into smaller pieces, and make it understandable.”

A favourite professor during his tenure with McMaster (1972 to 1981) and more recently, University of Waterloo School of Accounting and Finance (since 1981), Laiken’s passion and deep understanding of tax garnered him teaching awards from both institutions. “Awesome! We can’t say enough good things about uncle Stan. He is the best teacher in the program and one of the best in the School. If you have the opportunity to have him, make sure you take [his tax course],” students from Rate My Prof said. His classroom antics were what made tax fun and interesting for his students, from t-shirts with slogans such as “Tax is a microcosm of life” to his famous Aerobics Tax Roll Over dance, Laiken has inspired hundreds of students across Canada to pursue careers in accounting and tax.